Close Your Eyes
by Aubrey Enox
Summary: Olivia surprises Natalia. Title is from Young Love- Close Your Eyes. P&G own them, not me. Thanks for listening thanks for caring. One Shot


Close Your Eyes

Olivia plans a picnic. I don't own them, P&G do. Thanks for the love.

Title from Young Love's "Close Your Eyes"

Natalia had just finished the last load of laundry for the evening and was getting ready to head to bed early when she heard the sound of a car making its way up the driveway. Living alone at the farmhouse was starting to freak her out but she was determined to stick it out. Rafe would be coming home soon but she missed Olivia and Emma in the house plus the added comfort of Olivia's locked up 9mm. she crossed to the window and peered out through the curtain to see Olivia's car sitting in the driveway, lights off while she moved around in the driver's seat.

Olivia saw the curtain shift to the left and Natalia's face appear in the space. Most of the lights were on in the house and she could tell by her expression that Natalia was a little taken off guard by her sudden appearance. Olivia silently cursed her misstep in not calling ahead but really wanted the element of surprise so she just went with her gut. She mentally chastised herself as she pulled the basket into her lap before stepping out of the car.

Natalia opened the door and wrapped her black trench sweater around her waist, her arms folding across her torso as a smile brightened her face. She stood in the doorway, the light from the living room spilling onto the porch floor. "Hey you" she greeted, all trace of nerves disappearing. Olivia smiled as she closed her door and attempted to hide the basket behind her back.

"Hey yourself." she replied, walking over to the front steps. "Sorry I didn't call, I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, consider me surprised." Natalia replied, stepping back to let Olivia into the house. She spied the big basket behind Olivia's back. "What's that?" she stood on her tiptoes trying to look over Olivia's shoulder.

"The surprise, now stop looking." Olivia replied, using her body to shield the basket as she entered the living room.

"Oh. I thought you were the surprise" Natalia replied, with a lopsided grin. She looked back out to the car, disappointment robbing her face of that grin. "Where's Emma?"

"With Rebecca at a big sleepover." Olivia answered, stashing the basket before turning towards Natalia. "Why? I thought you were glad with just little ol me."

"I am…" Natalia replied sheepishly stepping forward and pulling Olivia into a hug. They stood there for a moment, Natalia's arms wrapped around Olivia's neck while Olivia's arms were wrapped around Natalia's waist. Natalia's eyes closed for a moment, relishing the contact as she felt Olivia's left hand move up her back and her fingers weave through her hair. She blushed as she felt Olivia sigh heavily before letting her go. She felt the same way. "So what's with the surprise?"

"Well. I just thought that we could go out and have dinner."

"Dinner? Isn't Towers closed now?" Natalia looked at her watch.

"It is…I was thinking a picnic." Olivia said with a casual shrug, the corners of her lips tugged into an innocent smile.

"A picnic. At this time of night?" Natalia replied, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Aren't there bats out now?"

"There could be. What? Don't think I could protect you?" Olivia joked, her hands sliding into the pockets of her jeans. Natalia watched those fingers disappear into the pockets of the snug denim.

"I know you could…it's just…where would we go?" Natalia sat on the edge of the couch, folding her hands in her lap and studying Olivia. "It's late."

"It's a surprise. Trust me. You're gonna love it." Olivia replied, a smile creeping across her features. "It involves the basket, if that'll get you to go with me right now."

Natalia's eyes lit up. "Okay. I'm in." Natalia stood up eagerly. "But you'd better protect me from those bats."

"I'll guard you with my life." Olivia held up her right hand in a Scouts honor salute. "Let's go."

Natalia settled into the passenger seat and watched as Olivia crossed in front of the car, trying to pinpoint where it was she was intending to take her. She made a mental list of possible places they could be going at such a late hour. _Towers was closed but that didn't mean that she didn't have pull and couldn't arrange something for the two of them. She wouldn't have come all the way over here to bring her back to the apartment at The Beacon. _She watched Olivia climb into the driver's seat and blushed in the moonlight at the smile Olivia gave her. "So do I get a hint?"

"No." Olivia's hand disappeared into the pocket of her jacket before reappearing with something silk in her fingers. "Put this on though." She held up the fabric to Natalia.

"What is it?"

"Blindfold. C'mon put it on." Olivia said. "I'm not starting this car until you put it on."

Natalia gave Olivia an incredulous look. "Really?"

"Really." Olivia said, her face the picture of seriousness. She watched as Natalia slipped the silk over her eyes and waved her hand in front of her shielded eyes making sure that Natalia couldn't see anything. She started the car and put it in drive, moving backwards on the driveway before putting the car in drive and driving down the road towards the main drag that lead back into the middle of town. She drove along the paved road before making a turn to head back towards the farmhouse hoping that the aimless driving would throw Natalia off the scent. She turned back onto the road that lead back to the farmhouse, opting to stay off of the gravel as much as possible and heading towards the back of the farmhouse towards the small duck pond that was there. She took occasional glances at Natalia whose body had stiffened up slightly against the back of her seat, her hands holding the sides of her seat tight, knuckles white. She reached over and took Natalia's left hand as it gripped the compartment box. Her grip loosened and melted in Olivia's grasp and the stiffness that had overtaken her body seemed to liquefy. She felt a small tremor from deep inside Natalia travel through her arm, pass through her fingers and travel into Olivia, making her own body tingle. She exhaled slowly, hoping that her plan was going to work.

The moon hung big and bright in the inky black sky complimented by a brilliant display of glittering stars. The celestial display was going to serve as the backdrop for Olivia's late night dinner picnic and she couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening. She tried to calm her racing heart. She turned the car in a complete u-turn and backed the car up to just the right spot. _It's nothing, just a nice little late night picnic…no worries._ She stopped the car and let it idle, feeling Natalia's hand tense in hers. She tried to resist the urge to scare her senseless. "Okay. We're here." she said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Keep the blindfold on." she said reaching across her body and unbuckling Natalia's seatbelt.

"Olivia…" Natalia breathed.

"Natalia. It's okay, I'm right here. Just, keep it on, okay? Just a few more minutes." she urged and slid out of the car. She ran around to the trunk and popped it open. She pulled out a large blanket, unfolded it and left it on the grass before running to the passenger side door and opening it. She took Natalia's right hand and helped her out of the car. Natalia stood awkwardly for a moment with Olivia, her left hand on the roof of the car. "Walk with me, okay?" Olivia gently urged, looping her right arm around Natalia's waist and guiding her to the back of the car. "Talk about role reversal huh? Remember when you used to have to do this with me after the surgery?" she joked as they clumsily made their way to the back of the car.

"Funny." Natalia replied, her brows knit together with concentration. "What are you up to?"

"I told you, surprise. Just stand right there." Olivia said, fixing the blanket and guiding Natalia to the center of it. "Okay. Sit." she helped Natalia sit on the grass before opening the back door and pulling out the basket. She pulled out a few lanterns from the trunk and switched them on, hanging them from a few of the spikes that she jammed into the grass. She lit citronella candles and placed them a few yards around their blanket. She opened the basket and pulled out a bottle of wine, sandwiches, cheese and fruit. She double checked everything and knelt behind Natalia, undoing the knot she made with the silk. "Surprise." she whispered into Natalia's ear.

Natalia's jaw dropped. She took in the sight the small spread before her, shaking her head in disbelief. She looked around as Olivia hoped that she didn't recognize the surroundings. She stared up at the moon and was speechless.

"How's that for a surprise?" Olivia asked, moving on to the blanket and opening up still chill bottle of red wine.

"Olivia. This is incredible. Thank you."

Olivia shrugged as she poured the wine into plastic stemware. She handed Natalia one, licking the tips of her right fingers before she poured her own glass with her left. "It's what I do."

Natalia held the glass delicately in her fingers and watched as Olivia held her own glass out towards her in a toast. "To surprises."

"Surprises." They tapped their glasses together and took generous sips, the wine instantly hitting their systems simultaneously. "This is amazing…" Natalia said, grabbing a sandwich. "Did you make these?"

"Yep. Believe it or not, I can actually cook." she quipped as she watched Natalia take a huge bite out of the roast beef sandwich. Her eyes rolled back in delight. "This is incredible. You're gonnahavta cook more often." she said with a mouthful of meat and bread.

"That's attractive, your mouth all open and stuff, real sexy."

"Shut up." Natalia chuckled and reached for a napkin.

They sat in silence, thoughtfully chewing and drinking. Natalia looked up at the sky again and shivered as she finished the last bite of her sandwich. "It's beautiful out."

"Mhm." Olivia replied, watching Natalia as she leaned back on her palms and gazed up at the stars dreamily. The moonlight danced on her cheeks and shone through her hair, bathing her in a white light. Olivia took another gulp from her glass and moved closer to Natalia. "Gorgeous." she breathed as she looked up at stars.

Natalia looked over at Olivia and studied the way the moon lit up her features. She seemed to glow brighter than the moonlight, the brilliance coming from beneath her skin. "Is this what it's like in your world?"

Olivia smiled and looked at Natalia curiously. "My world?"

"Yeah, where you grew up…and the place you go sometimes when you don't want to deal with the things going on in the world."

"Yes."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"The times Frank surprised me with dinner…" Natalia immediately regretted asking it as she saw Olivia's demeanor completely change. "Was that you?"

Olivia studied the tip of her boot intently, weighing the pros and cons answering the question. "Yes it was."

Natalia nodded slowly, biting her bottom lip and watching Olivia avoid making eye contact. "I'm sorry for asking."

"It's okay, you're entitled to know these things." Olivia poured another glass of wine for herself. "I just thought of the things you'd like and how much it would mean if it came from Frank." she took a sip and sighed, her eyes locked onto the tip of her boot.

"It was nice." Natalia offered with a shrug. "I knew it wasn't all his handiwork though."

"Really? What was the tip off?"

"He was genuinely surprised when I told him I love Buzz Burgers with extra onions. Among other things. You, Emma and Rafe are the only people who know that I love sloppy meals."

Olivia nodded, her lips pursed as her eyes moved from her boot tip to the dark tree line, watching the moonlight filter through the heavy spring leaves. "I know a lot about you, Natalia."

"I know you do." Natalia studied the grim line that had cut across Olivia's face. She was missing her smile and her warmth more and more. "I know a lot about you too, you know."

"Like what?"

"You have a big heart."

"I have Gus' heart."

"It's _your_ heart." Natalia replied emphatically. "It's big and it's full of love and it's probably one of the best things about you. I know you fight for everything and you fight with that heart more than anything else." Olivia took her eyes away from the woods to look at Natalia. "And it would've meant more if you just did them yourself. Like now. This means alot to me."

"I'm glad you like it." Olivia said, the ice sliding from her tone.

"So cheer up."

"I'm fine."

Natalia bumped Olivia with her shoulder. "You got upset with me for mentioning Frank."

"No I didn't. Let's not talk about it. I want to celebrate."

"What're we celebrating?"

"Everything. You. Me. Rafe coming home. Life is good right now."

"It's great." Natalia agreed, taking a piece of fruit and popping it into her mouth. "I don't want to jinx it but it feels perfect."

"It does."

They studied each other intently, taking in every detail of the other's face. Natalia shivered as she watched Olivia's green eyes darken as they slid across her lips. Her own eyes drank in the sight of Olivia's lips as they seemed to deepen in color, the tip of her tongue moistening her bottom lip. She felt her body temperature rise despite the chill and she exhaled slowly as Olivia extended her right hand to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear, fingertips brushing Natalia's cheek. They sat on the blanket, their faces inches apart, breathing in each other's scent deep, filling their lungs and holding it. Olivia felt unsteady but it was more from the way Natalia looked in the moonlight, bathed in perfect white light than the wine.

She wanted to kiss her and Olivia knew that Natalia wanted her to.

Natalia saw conflict in Olivia's eyes, even in the dim light from the candles and lanterns. She was fighting something that they both wanted to do and it seemed she was losing miserably. She shivered and moved to wrap her arms around herself to keep warm. It was more the fact that she felt her nerves screaming for her to just give in to the impulse that was bubbling between them.

She wanted to kiss her and Natalia knew that Olivia wanted her to.

Olivia slid her jacket off and draped it around Natalia's shoulders, her hands sliding down the length of Natalia's arms to her hands. She took hold of Natalia's hands and held them between her own palms. Raising them to her lips, she blew warm air into the cradle she made, rubbing her palms against the back of Natalia's chilled hands. "Maybe I should get you back home…" she said, rubbing her hands against Natalia's to build up the warmth.

"I'm fine." Natalia replied, relishing the warmth passing between them.

"It's late…ter…than I thought it was…" Olivia said, busily warming Natalia's hands. Her lips pressed against Natalia's hands, a blast of warm air hitting her palms.

_It feels like she keeps kissing me over and over again._ She shivered again at the thought and moved closer to Olivia. "We'll leave when I see a bat."

"Nobody wants to see bats."

"You're the one who says this time of night is perfect and you also promised to protect me from the bats."

"I did."

"So when I see one, we can go."

"You're gonna hightail it out of here, aren't you." Olivia deadpanned.

"Maybe, try and keep up."

"I'll run circles around you, hell, I _have_ run circles around you."

"Some of us aren't as athletically inclined as others." Natalia teased, her eyebrow arched playfully.

"I told you city mouse, you have to come to the country with me more often." Olivia teased back.

"You're the one who lives in a Penthouse suite."

"Not by choice. You know I wasn't completely sold on living out here until I met you."

"I know." Natalia blushed again as she moved closer to Olivia, tucking her legs beneath her. "I'm glad you came to live here."

"I'm grateful that you let me." Olivia replied, moving closer to Natalia. She sat on her hip, legs jutting out at an angle bent at the knees.

"I don't know who I'd be if I hadn't had that time with you and Emma…I might be a different person."

"I know I'm a different person."

"OH yeah, definite 180 from when we first met."

"I know I wasn't the most pleasant thing…"

"I think a blood thirsty dog was more fun than you."

"Ouch."

"I'm telling you the truth. I was so intimidated by you. You were so mean and cold. I wondered how anyone could have loved you…"

"Double ow." Olivia feigned an arrow going through her heart. "And now?"

"And now you're such a softie. And I can't imagine anyone loving you more than I do."

Olivia blushed as Natalia's head cocked to the side, her deep brown eyes taking in the sight of a completely dismantled Olivia Spencer as they sat inches apart from each other on a blanket in the grass under a full moon. Olivia brushed her knuckles of her right hand gently against Natalia's cheek, her eyelids fluttering at the contact as she marveled at the softness of her skin. Natalia tilted her head against Olivia's knuckles, her lips grazing them, eyes holding Olivia's gaze intently. She felt herself being drawn into Olivia's gravitational pull, her eyes shifting from the fullness of Olivia's lips and the growing hunger in her green eyes. Olivia felt Natalia's body coming closer and closer, shockwaves rattling through her body as she moistened her lips, anticipating their collision against Natalia's own. Her hand settled against Natalia's neck and felt her pulse quicken. Her own pulse picked up and together they moved closer, their hearts pounding as one, lips inching closer until they were heartbeats away.

Natalia's eyes were nearly closed, her heart and mind hoping she wouldn't miss her target. She knew she was close, she could feel Olivia's breath warm her face. She smelled sweet. She moved her hand to cup Olivia's cheek, marveling at how soft she was despite the tough girl image. She licked her lips, hoping that she was ready for a real kiss for once in her life instead of being ambushed by people and their kisses. She shivered as she felt Olivia's body coming closer to her, her lips a heartbeat away.

Natalia's head jerked back suddenly, eyes wide. "Was that a bat!?" she shrieked as she looked around in fear.

"It's a chainsaw wielding homicidal maniac…" Olivia groaned, her head dropped in defeat. "I didn't hear anything."

"I heard the little echo thing they do…" Natalia whined, visibly grossed out at the prospect of a bat being wedged in her hair.

Olivia bit her bottom lip hard before exhaling and reaching for the remains of her glass of wine. She downed it in one gulp and chuckled to herself. "Missed it by _that_ much." she mumbled as she stood to pack up the late night picnic. Natalia was at her side, helping pick up the bits and pieces and keeping her head low.

"Y'know they're more scared of us that we are of them…" Olivia joked, bumping Natalia with her hip.

"That only works with mice and even that's not all that helpful." Natalia replied, bumping Olivia back.

"I think it works with bats. C'mon, lets go find it." Olivia joked, wiping her hands on her jeans and reaching for Natalia's hand.

"Noooo thank you." Natalia replied, taking Olivia's hand and holding her in place. "Besides, I don't think you could protect me from bears if we leave this food out here."

"Well no…but…you know I'd protect you from anything. Bats, bears…" Olivia pantomimed flexing and sneered. "They're all goin down. Whatcha gonna do when Spencer-mania goes wild on you?!"

"You're so weird. I had no idea you could be _this_ weird." Natalia said as she picked up a lantern and held it up over Olivia's shoulder to brighten up her packing.

"It's all part of my charm. There are many fascinating sides to me, Natalia, you'll come to love them all."

"Well. I already _do_ kinda like one…" Natalia said, a smile brightening up her face, her dimples embedding themselves in her cheeks.

"Yeah?" Olivia asked, watching as Natalia packed the trunk with the lanterns. "That works for me." she flashed a grin.

They packed up the picnic in no time and were sitting in the dark car, listening to the sound of a nearby creek, the occasional owl hoot and bat sound. Natalia sat quietly in her seat, legs tucked into her body as she waited for Olivia to start the car. "I had a nice time, Olivia." she said, watching as a blush crept along Olivia's skin.

"I'm glad." she replied, leaving the key in the ignition and leaning into her seat. "I wanted to show you how special you are…you know, while we still have some time to ourselves…"

"About that…"

"It's fine, Natalia. I understand. I just wanted to tell you that I'm here, whenever you want me or need me. I'm always going to be here. It's what friends do." Olivia tacked on the last part because she couldn't find the words to describe whatever it was that they were experiencing and whatever it was they were to each other. "You mean the world to me."

Natalia bit her lower lip, weighing her words cautiously. "You mean everything to me too." she said with a shy smile.

"As long as it's even." Olivia smiled, reaching for Natalia's hand and holding it tightly in hers. "Gotta get you home, we've got work in the morning and you have to get the house ready."

"I know…" Natalia said, her smile widening as Olivia started the car. She turned the headlights on and Natalia's eyes bugged. "Is that a house?"

"Uhh, yeah…"

"Were we on someone's property?!"

"Not technically…"

"Olivia."

"What? I couldn't think of a place to take you so I just kinda…"

"Kinda what?"

"Just…close your eyes."

Natalia folded her arms across her chest as she cut Olivia a look.

"Fine." Olivia said as she put the car in drive. "It's gonna ruin the surprise though." She slowly eased the car around the left side of the farmhouse, pulling into the spot where the night had started. Natalia made a face and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "See."

"You had the picnic in the backyard of the farmhouse."

"Yeah."

"That's sweet."

"I try…" Olivia mumbled as Natalia pulled her into a hug. "I figured we couldn't go far and…"

"Shh." Natalia answered, her head resting on Olivia's shoulder.

"Let me walk you to your door…" Olivia said, breaking off the hug.

Natalia stood in the doorway of the farmhouse, the lights washing across the front porch floor as Olivia stood with her hands jammed into her jean pockets, the short sleeves of her dark red shirt exposing her goose bumped arms. She realized that she was still wearing her jacket. She made a move to slide out of it but Olivia's hands caught her mid-action. She felt an electric current run through her body as Olivia pulled the jacket back over her shoulders. "Hang on to it for me." she said with a lopsided smile. "Looks cute on you."

Natalia blushed and she felt a flashback to high school, when Gus had given her his jacket. She felt herself jolt back when she realized that the woman standing in front of her wasn't going to be like Gus; she was going to stay around, no matter what happened. She often wondered if Olivia's change had something to do with Gus' heart, if his goodness and love for her was still somewhere in the chambers of the organ affecting Olivia in some supernatural way. She knew better because when she looked at Olivia, she felt that it was _Olivia_ that was looking at her with love and not Gus; Gus might have brought it out of her but she was responsible for keeping it here, with her. She let Olivia pull her into a tight embrace, her arms locking around her. She rested her head against Olivia's shoulder, her own arms wrapped around Olivia's waist. She sighed softly, breathing in the mixture of perfume, leather and the red wine. "Are you going to be okay to drive?" she asked, her voice muffled slightly in Olivia's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Sure?" Natalia prodded, leaning back in Olivia's arms to give her a once over. "No coffee…?"

"That's going to keep me up. I'll be fine. I'll call you as soon as I get in." Olivia reluctantly let go of Natalia, her hands immediately slipping back into the pockets of her jeans. She stepped back over the threshold, a small smile dancing across her lips. "Sweet dreams."

"Dream sweet." Natalia replied. "Make sure you call me, no excuses."

"None. On my honor." Olivia replied with a wink. "Lock up okay."

"Will do." She watched Olivia head back to the car, start it, wave from the seat and drive off into the darkness. Natalia locked up the doors and turned out the living room lights before heading upstairs. She stood in her bedroom, still clad in Olivia's jacket and held the lapel up to her nose, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes.


End file.
